How to send an effective Email to Professors

Tapan Basak - Ph.D. Student | CS | NJIT

It’s Autumn or “Fall” as they call it here in the west. The weather is nice, leaves are “falling” off

trees driven by the light breeze, and the sun is out most of the time. It’s also September, which

means, people are back to school. While students are busy with classes, course work,

assignments, and projects, professors are already thinking about next Fall. They are not laid

back individuals like you and me. Which means, it’s the perfect time to email them.

If you are reading this blog, I am assuming you are likely a student desperately looking for

research positions in universities abroad. Most likely, you are looking to do a PhD/Master’s

abroad with full funding. You have a field which you are very interested in, and you are craving

to solve real problems in that topic. Oh, and you love reading research papers and you are

excited by the methods researchers are using to solve problems. And you can’t sleep at night

thinking of solutions to these problems. If only you had the money, a lab, and someone to guide

you.

Ok, perhaps the paragraph above was a bit of an exaggeration. Perhaps you are not so excited by

research that you can’t sleep at night. And, you don’t like reading papers so much. But let that be

a secret between us. Don’t let the professor know.

But, let’s forget about research for now. Let’s assume it’s not that important. And, you know

what, just for the sake of it, I am assuming you are one hell of a student. Your CGPA is
3.998/4.00, and your GRE Score is 339, and you got a 9.0 Band Score in IELTS. You are what

they call “A big deal”. So I present to you the perfect Introduction to your email.

Dear Dr. Einstein,

My name is Abdullah Mohammed Tawfikuddin Jabbar Chowdhury. Preferred name Abdullah.

I have a Degree from Motijheel Institute of Technology (MIT). I graduated with distinction

(First Class First) with the Dean's Merit Award with CGPA 3.998. I have a GRE score of 339,

and 9.0 in IELTS. I graduated last year, and now I want to do a PhD at your University,

Princeton University.

Amazing introduction. The professor knows your name, your undergrad institution, and that

you are the big deal in the first paragraph.

That was sarcasm, by the way. The introduction above is not good. It’s boring, it’s irrelevant, and

the professor doesn’t care. That, my friend, is how 90% of emails start. That is exactly how not to

begin an email. I get it, your numbers are good. But, we will keep those numbers for the climax.

So then, how exactly should you start your email to stand out from the crowd? Well, let’s think of

it from the professor’s perspective.

Professor Einstein (E) is a research professor at University X. E wants to publish his work in top

conferences and journals to become a tenured professor at the university. With blood and sweat,

he has managed a large NSF fund from the Government for a project. If successful, the project
will really enhance his research profile and reputation. Also it can have a good impact in the real

world. Professor E wants a student who can contribute to his project at the fastest time possible.

A student who has relevant experience and interest would be perfect for him. Prof E wants a

student with matching research interests and skills to contribute to his project. In short, he

needs someone to get his job done.

It is important to understand that professors want their own work done. It is their projects and

their research which is of the utmost importance. So, in the email, talk more about them and

their fascinating research. People like to hear about themselves. Professors are not an exception.

So, let’s try a different start to the email this time. Remember what the professor wants to hear-

their research.

<DISCLAIMER: The content of the email may be inaccurate. >

Dear Professor Einstein,

I am considering applying to your department’s PhD program, one reason being that I am

very interested in the work you are doing on the theory of relativity and mass-energy

equivalence. I liked reading your paper titled “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” and

“A heuristic point of view of the production and transformation of light”. I must admit that this

is groundbreaking work which can change how humans see the world. I would love to work on

these topics given the opportunity to work in your lab.

Huh, that sounds better. No names, no scores for the opening. It’s all about the professor and his

amazing work. Professor E instantly knows that you are familiar with his work and you are

interested in those topics. But are you really? Professor E knows that you know the title of his

papers, maybe you skimmed over the abstract. Prof E is not sure if you understand the paper

even if it is on a high level. So let’s be more specific. Let the professor know that you really read

his paper.

Dear Professor Einstein,

I am considering applying to your department’s PhD program, one reason being that I am

very interested in the work you are doing on the theory of relativity and mass-energy

equivalence. I especially liked your paper on the heuristic point of view of the production and

transformation of light. I particularly liked how it showed that the photon carries momentum

as well as energy and that electromagnetic radiation must have both particle-like and

wave-like properties if Planck’s law holds. Also, later in the paper, in explaining the

photoelectric effect, I loved how you illustrated the hypothesis that energy consists of discrete

packets that can be directly applied to black bodies as well.

Professor E is convinced that you really read his paper. Try to talk about methods used in a

paper, what you liked about the paper. If you find any limitations in the paper or a flaw that

needs to be addressed in the future, even better. Often in research papers, there will be future

work that the author plans to address. Try to talk about those future works. It shows your

attention and real interest in the author’s work.

Let’s go on to talk about the second paper now. Talking about more than one research work can

be really useful since you don’t know what projects professor E is currently involved in.

….

(2nd Paragraph)

In your paper on the theory of special relativity, I enjoyed reading how you determined that

the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and showed that the speed

of light within a vacuum is the same no matter the speed at which an observer travels. I loved

how you went on to discuss that space and time were interwoven into a single continuum

known as space-time. Indeed, through your equations you proved that massive objects caused

a distortion in space-time.

Now the professor is sure that you understand his work at least on a high level. You look like

someone who is truly interested in his work. Now it’s time you talk about yourself. Again, avoid

talking about numbers. You want to talk about you background in research and how it aligns

with the work of Dr. E.

(3rd Paragraph)…

My own research interests relate to theoretical Physics as well and I have some research

experience investigating subatomic entities such as electrons or photons and their properties of
either being waves or particles — depending on how the physicist chooses to observe them. In

one of my works, I deduced that until they are observed, quantum entities have no real

existence; they exist in a probabilistic limbo of many possible superposed states. In my

master’s thesis, I published a work in which I suggested that all the phenomena that appear in

the world — whether they be fundamental particles or thoughts in the mind — emerge out of a

deeper order of reality, their character varying according to the context.

Great. You have talked about your work. Clearly, they align to a certain extent with that of Prof.

E. You proved that you have some research experience and you have the background to

contribute to E’s work. Let’s end the email by your intention to work with him in his lab. Give a

brief summary of your credentials and don’t forget to attach you CV and Transcripts.

(4th Paragraph)…

I am wondering if you will be considering taking on new PhD advisees, or if you have

suggestions for other faculty I should reach out to. I would be interested to hear more about

the recent work in your lab, and I would be happy to answer any questions or to talk if more

information would be helpful. I’m also adding a short summary of my profile along with my

CV and transcripts, for your convenience.

Some numbers at the end:

BSc and MSc, Applied Physics, University of Sao Paolo, Brazil

CGPA : 3.998 / 4.00

Publications: 3

GRE : 339 / 340 Q(170)

IELTS : 9.0 / 9.0

Sincerely,

David Joseph Bohm

<attach your CV, transcripts, and standardized scores>

Writing your emails in a story-like research driven way can help you stand out from the dozens

of emails that professors receive everyday. Remember, you are more than just numbers. It’s the

professor’s research that matters the most and how your background aligns with it. The email

above was fictional intended to help you structure your email in an organized and convincing

way. Here is a full real email that landed me an interview with a professor.
Dear Dr. _,

I am considering applying to your department’s PhD program, one reason being that I am

very interested in the work you are doing on software and systems security at the secure

systems lab. I particularly enjoyed your study on the development of MORSE, the tool that can

create a compact scenario graph that summarizes attacker activity by filtering through

millions of system events. I was intrigued by how you assigned suspicious and benign tags to

subjects using policy-based attack detection and root cause identification, as well as how you

propagated the dependency using tag decay and tag attenuation.

Your work on the Static Binary Randomizer also piqued my interest. I found it interesting how

your Length Limiting Randomization technique is able to provide higher entropy due to

random choice of block boundaries and also can be combined with other randomization. I

really appreciate the fact that your work not only focuses on theory but also puts emphasis on

building real usable and open source tools.

The concepts you work on regarding security as well as apply them in practice directly align

with the theoretical and practical aspects of my skills and interests and are exactly the sort of

work I’m looking for to work in.

My own research interests relate to computer security as well, and I have some research

experience building secure privacy-preserving architectures. In my final year thesis, for

instance, I developed a project that retrieved health data from smartwatches using Google’s

sensor APIs and stored it in a decentralized and secure framework involving Hyper-ledger

Fabric and IPFS, for which I received a best research poster award at an international

conference. Through my ventures in designing and developing secure systems, I realized my

deeper interests in information security and the opportunities to solve real world problems in

this field.

I am wondering if you will be considering taking on new PhD advisees, or if you have

suggestions for other faculty I should reach out to. I would be interested to hear more about

the recent work in your lab, and I would be happy to answer any questions or to talk if more

information would be helpful. I’m also adding a short summary of my profile along with my

CV and transcripts, for your convenience.

BSc, Computer Science

GRE :

IELTS :

CGPA :

Yours sincerely,

The subject of the email should be something like:

“Prospective Ph.D. student interested in information security, Fall 2023”

Now for some FAQs:

1. Where do I find professors?

Ans: Google. Search for your desired universities (US News, CS Rankings) and go into your

desired department. There are likely faculty profiles categorized by research interests. Most

professors have personal websites. Go visit and see if you are interested. One other way would be

searching on google scholar by research keywords.

2. How many emails should I send to professors?

Ans: I think it should be 100–150. Anything more than that, I think you have too much time in

your hand or you are not spending enough time researching before sending emails. Some people

send the same email to 500 professors. I don’t approve of that.

3. I am not getting replies from professors. Why? What should I do?

Ans: Main reason you are not getting reply:

- The professor is too busy or is not looking to hire any more students.

Other reasons:

- The professor will only review profiles of those who have already applied i.e. he or she will look

at central applications only. It’s the norm for hundreds of universities. It’s easier to evaluate a

person from an application package than through an email.

- Your research does not align with the professor’s. Reach out to another faculty.

The last possible reason would be that your profile has not impressed the professor. Don’t lose

hope though, the fault is not in your numbers. A right match with some other faculty will

overlook all your lacking in numbers.

4. I got a generic/positive reply. What do I do now? How do I ask for an interview?

Ans:

A generic positive reply looks like this: “I encourage you to apply to our Ph.D. program.” In

that case, you should reply something like:

Dear Dr. _,

Thank you for your encouragement. I am in the process of finishing my application. I will let

you know as soon as I finish. If you would like to set up an interview , I would be happy to let

you know more about my background and interests. I would also love to learn more about

your current projects.

If he or she is interested, he will ask you for a time and set up a virtual interview with you. That’s

your opportunity to shine.

5. I have not gotten a reply for 3 days. What should I do?

Ans:

Write something this after 3 business days:

Dear Dr. X,

I am writing to you to follow up on my previous email. I would like to let you know that I am

in the process of finishing up my application as a prospective Ph.D. student at your

department. Your research and projects have really inspired me to apply. If you need any

information as the committee reviews my application, I would be happy to sit for an interview

and talk about my background. Thank you.

No reply for another day, move on to the next professor.

6. How do I prepare myself for an interview?

Ans: Congrats! you have gotten yourself an interview. Be confident and proud. Interviews are

not easy to get. How do you prepare?

- Read the professor’s recent papers (esp. which you mention in the email) extensively. Watch

their conference presentations on YouTube. Research everything you can about the professor.

- Be ready to answer questions about your publications or background in research. It is very

likely the professor will want to learn about what you did in your undergrad/MS thesis.

- Be ready to answer common questions. Why do you want to do a PhD? Why did you choose

this university? Where else did you apply? What got you interested in the topic that you are

interested in? Don’t give lame answers to these questions. Be specific and back up those answers

with evidence.
- Sometimes professors may ask you technical questions. At one interview, I was given a coding

problem to solve. This is uncommon but it is good to be prepared.

- Be ready with your own set of good questions. Ask the professor:

“What are your current research projects? What do you plan to do in the future regarding this

project of yours? Is there a way to address this issue in this paper?” People love to talk about

themselves. A person who asks good questions is always impressive.

7. My interview went well. What do I do now?

Ans: Follow up. Always follow up. Write an appreciation email on how much you enjoyed talking

to the professor. Write about how you went on to read a few more of his work and how that

inspired you. A good interview is not a guarantee of admission. Do all you can to make sure you

are on the professor’s mind. Only then, he will vouch for you in the committee.

Alright! This thread is already too long. So I am going to stop here. I hope you can take at least

something from this blog. Before I go, Last tip: Do not think less of yourself. I can list a dozen

people with “bad-numbered” profiles who got into awesome universities. Also, choose your

professor and your research topic wisely. Put that over the rank of the university you choose.

You don’t wanna be stuck with someone you don’t like for 5–6 years. You only live once ! Good

luck with your applications!